Guidelines for COVID-19
& respiratory illnesses
Updated: 6/28/2024
In consideration of the needs of the entire UFM community and the frequent presence of many elderly and medically fragile individuals, the following guidelines are currently in place for all attending UFM-hosted activities on our campus.
COVID-19 vaccination:
We strongly recommend that all who come to UFM for in-person worship or events be fully vaccinated/boosted for respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19, per health department guidelines.
Masks:
Seattle King County Department of Health recommends using a well-fitted N-95 mask (or comparable)
When indoors in crowded areas OR
If you have a medical condition or for any reason, you may be less able to fight an infection or tolerate the effects of one
Mask wearing is particularly important when the prevalence of respiratory infections in the broader community is high (see link below).
Singing indoors without masks is discouraged at times when respiratory infections are high in the broader community (see link below).
When in the library, masking is recommended due to poor ventilation.
We should all mask if asked by others to do so for their safety.
At UFM, we try to provision N-95 masks on the counter outside the worship room.
Hand-to-hand contact:
The custom of shaking or holding hands at the rise of Meeting for Worship is considered low risk. Hand sanitizer is available at various locations on campus.
Symptomatic for respiratory illness:
If you have symptoms that might be related to COVID-19 or another respiratory illness, or are recovering from such illness, please join us for 11AM worship on Zoom instead.
Current information on the prevalence of respiratory illness in King County can be found here.
Since early 2020, University Friends Meeting established a Committee on Reopening Meeting (CoRM), to monitor the COVID-19 related situation,
propose appropriate risk reduction measures, and issue behavioral guidelines for member and attender use of the physical spaces at UFM.